Waving flag
by AmbySamby
Summary: WW2 AU: Arthur's world is turned upside down when he finds himself pretending to be a Jew on another soldier's behalf. Sent off to a camp that he'd never even wish on the Nazis themselves, he meets a very cheerful, optimistic American. A very annoying American. His name is Alfred F Jones, and Arthur doesn't even know what to think of him. USxUK
1. Chapter 1

Waving flag

Arthur didn't know what he did to deserve any of this. He understood that fighting for his country came with a price, but this was something he never expected, this seemed to be his worst nightmare. He had heard how the Nazis had captured any Jews they could get their sin coated hands on, but that was only in Germany….well that's what he told himself.

He still remembered the hammering of his heart as the enemy edged closer, his breath coming out in short, harsh pants. He was with four other soldiers at the time, there was nothing they could do about what was to happen, no matter how many times Arthur convinced himself otherwise. The fear was the worst thing he could remember from that day, the feeling of not knowing where he was going to end up was the most horrific thing he had ever experienced.

Being a prisoner of war didn't seem too bad compared to all the other scenarios that could have occurred. Despite the rumours that spread about the Nazis, it was quite well known that they didn't treat their prisoners of war too badly. No matter how much Arthur regretted opening his stupid mouth after first arriving to the German base, he still had that tiny ounce of pride from saving another man's skin. Even if it could've cost him his own life. Which it probably has, considering the circumstances. It all started when the German soldiers lined the five British soldiers up along with the others that were captured, every one of them seemed to be French, much to Arthur's disdain. The general, a tall man who seemed to wear a permanent frown, surveyed them with dark calculating eyes. Arthur could feel the lad next to him shake under his gaze, and Arthur could see way. His name was Ben, and he looked _very _Jewish, with his tanned skin, dark brown eyes and a long crooked nose. Arthur couldn't help but feel second hand fear for him, that's if the Germans recognised the distinguishable features. Oh, but the general already seemed to know.

"I know Jew is here. Jew must step forward, now." His voice was gruff and his accent made it hard for Arthur to decipher what he was saying. The French seemed to have no clue whatsoever judging by the confused glances they shared. Ben was trembling beside him. Arthur swallowed a lump in his throat; he wasn't much younger than himself, but he was young. He couldn't imagine what they would do to him if he was found out. He didn't want to imagine what they'd do.

"Somebody must step forward, or we find out ourselves. It will be easier to step forward now, less punishment later." His eyes flickered toward Ben for a moment before going back to the rest of the men. Arthur's heart was thumping wildly in his chest, this wasn't right; Ben didn't want to be in this bloody war in the first place! He had told Arthur this countless of times. Now the Germans will….he didn't want to think about it. He sneaked a glance back at Ben who seemed to be having an inner battle with himself.

"I will count to ten, yes? If Jew does not reveal, we make sure they pay the price." Arthur felt sick to the stomach, Ben was so innocent….

"One…" The frantic look Ben sent him was something the blonde man will never forget.

"Two…" What was going to happen? What would they do to poor Ben from Lancaster?

"Three…" His fists clenched and the tension in the room increased. Ben looked on the verge of tears. Arthur didn't know what to do.

"Four…" This was cutting it quite close; it was like the German knew that Ben wouldn't step forward, as if he wanted an excuse for him to 'pay the price'.

"Five…" A small malicious smile slowly formed on his usually blank face. Just like when they were captured, Arthur's breath was short and ragged.

"Six…"

"Seven…." This was getting too much. Arthur almost could not bear it. The general was toying with them and he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Eight…no Jew is at my feet yet." This caused many of the men to shoot him glares of defiance; it would seem that they didn't take lightly to that snide comment.

"Nine…" Ben was practically hyperventilating when the next number came around. Arthur took a deep breath and he did something either very brave or very stupid. He would go with the latter for this one.

"Ten…" Arthur rushed forward, startling his fellow soldiers at his sudden appearance. He heard a surprised squeak erupt from Ben's mouth but the words were out before he could stop them.

"I-it's me! I'm the Jew!" He breathed out. Murmurs echoed around the room, everyone was clearly shocked. It was fairly obvious that it wasn't this blonde haired, green eyed man that was the Jew. But the German General didn't seem to care, as long as he had his victim. His menacing eyes gleamed in the low lamp light.

"Jew, yes? I did not expect you to come forward. I suppose we cannot do anything to you then. That is pity." He motioned the two guards by the door and they both seized him by the arms roughly.

"Sie wissen wo sie ihn nehmen. Gehen!" There was silence as Arthur was pulled from the room. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, the eerie quietness did not help Arthur in the slightest. Dragged down seemingly endless stairs, pushed through never ending corridors, the torture of not knowing was eating at Arthur. After a sharp turn one of the guards released his hold on him to unlock the heavy iron door before them. He cast an apologetic look at the Brit before reluctantly opening the door and helping the other guard to toss him inside, slamming the door behind them.

Just great, Arthur couldn't help but think irritably. It was only at that moment when the reality of what he'd just done crashed down on him. It was if he had been winded, he backed up against the wall and slowly slid down it in defeat. There were no windows in this small compact space, no light to give Arthur the faintest bit of hope. So instead he just sat motionlessly on the cold stone floor, the loneliness did not take long to take its toll. Arthur was alone and Arthur was terrified.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I'd like to thank the reviews for my story so far, I was actually quite surprised when I saw that I had any at all! I have many ideas for this story and I hope you join me for the ride. Sorry if the chapters seem short, I'm getting used to this whole writing thing, I'm kind of new to it. The translations to the German will be at the end so nobody will be confused like poor Arthur XD. They are probably not accurate, but I don't know any German at all, unless you count danke as one... Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

Waving flag

Chapter two (2)

Fiddling with his hands as he leant against the window, Arthur nervously awaited his future. Paranoia ate at him as the same questions spiralled through his mind. Will I be stuck there forever? Will I even live past the first few days? What if the war ends and I'm still stuck in that wretched place?! But he had no time to regret what he did; he had plenty of time to dwell on that when he spent the night in that cell. He knew where he was going and he knew that he probably wouldn't last long….but he'd made it this far in the army, right?

"Bollocks…." He muttered to himself for the seventh time during the train ride. He felt isolated, a respective Englishman thrown away with the Germans swallowing the key, the humiliation and loss of his pride was the worst thing he had to endure. He prayed that he wouldn't go to….Auschwitz, it was the most infamous camp out of the whole lot and he prayed that was not where he was going. The only thing he could do was try and clear his mind; which was practically impossible considering the situation, but he slowly closed his eyes and eventually, sleep came…..

"Wake up! We are here." The Brit was jolted awake by a harsh tug on the arm, he opened his eyes drowsily to see three German Nazis stood in the compartment. Letting out a hopeless sigh, he allowed himself to be taken away from the brief comfort of the train. The sky was covered with dark, gloomy clouds that cast an overall depressing feeling that made Arthur shiver. Ahead of them, standing proud, was a long building with a gigantic, intimidating gate between it. Two German soldiers were surveying him from the balcony just above the entrance. He knew what this was, although throughout the entire train journey he was trying to convince himself otherwise.

"Welcome to Buchenwald, enjoy your stay…." The blonde one out of the trio sniggered at him. These guys weren't as sympathetic as the ones back at the German base, Arthur noted. They marched him up to who he guessed was the superior officer, a suspicious glance was cast his way.

"Wer ist das? Er sieht nicht aus wie er hier draußen gehört." Arthur couldn't help but internally groan as more German was spoken, he obviously didn't understand a thing they were saying, he hated it when he couldn't understand something.

"Wir wissen es nicht, wir waren gerade gesagt, ihn zu begleiten" The taller man nodded and gestured to Arthur, making him gulp.

"Ja, müssen sie einen triftigen Grund haben. Stehen Sie bequem, können Sie ihn in zu nehmen." The men saluted each other and set off through the gates without loosening their tight grips on Arthur's arms. The sight in front of them was something to behold. Run down huts in straight, orderly lines, a massive barbed wired fence circling the entire camp and the sullen, helpless faces of the inhabitants were just a few things that made the green eyed man queasy. Men, women and children were scattered around various parts of the 'camp'….if you could even call it that, Arthur thought bitterly. They headed to the hut furthest to the right, it was just beside the wired fence, and this only made Arthur resent the fact that just a couple metres away, was freedom. The door was wooden, and it showed age from the chipped and mouldy exterior. At the top of the door was a brass number 5.0, but before Arthur could inspect further, the blonde one of the three shoved what looked like pyjamas into his arms.

"One of us will come and collect your clothing soon, make sure you're changed by then, got it?" All Arthur could do is nod in reply; he didn't trust himself to speak in case he let one of his spiteful comments slip. He glanced down at the item of clothing; it was white with dark blue stripes, a very dull combination. They opened the door with a quiet creak, and led him inside. What Arthur saw made him very uncomfortable, what he saw was exactly what he expected but worse. Wooden cots closely shoved together, thin scratchy looking blankets lay on top of them. There weren't any pillows as far as the Briton could see. The inhabitants all looked up in his direction, making him uneasy and nervous at their curious stares. Their faces were just like the people outside, gloomy and sullen.

"Meet your new roommate. Stop gawking and get back to your own business, nosy pests." This blonde German was not helping Arthur's immediate dislike for him at all. He shoved Arthur forward harshly which caused Arthur to shoot him a glare of hatred.

"Bloody git…" He muttered only to have his wrist caught and was turned to face the man.

"What was that? Care to share with me what you just said?" He snarled dangerously, the Brit didn't even blink. He had already doomed himself, he was not going to be pushed around by a pathetic Nazi, he was a proud Englishman! He spit at the man's shiny black shoes.

"Go to hell!" He growled, he would not let his pride be trampled by this horrific excuse for a man. The room was cast into complete silence; this German was obviously not used to being talked to in such a manner. Well, Arthur just changed that, hadn't he? A small smirk traced the blue eyed man's features, but didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You'll know your place soon enough, trust me, I'll make sure of it." He released his painful grip on his wrist and stepped back. He nodded to his fellow soldiers and left the hut.

"That is your sleeping quarters, remember one of us will be back to collect your old clothes, god help you if you aren't changed and it's Ludwig who comes to get them…." With that, the two headed out the door, closing it with a bang. Arthur stared down at his clothes reluctantly before turning around and going over to the only empty cot. He sat down heavily, ignoring the shocked looks. The cot was not comfortable in any way whatsoever, but it could be worse, he could be sleeping on the floor. He sighed and closed his eyes, needing a few moments of peace because he knew he'd need it in this place. But obviously somebody didn't want that, because a voice cut through his seconds of quiet.

"Hi there, a fella from Britain hanging 'bout here? I did Nazi that coming! Hah, you get it?" Arthur's eyes snapped open and he scowled at the source of the voice, it didn't help that this man was American either. He looked up to see the man in the cot next to him sitting with his legs crossed, watching him eagerly. His actions were almost child-like.

"Can I help you?" Arthur asked calmly; which was very hard due to his foul mood. The man edged closer to the edge of his bed, by him doing so, Arthur got a proper look at him. Tanned skin, messy golden hair and stunning sapphire eyes that twinkled with what Arthur thought was mischief, he felt his breath catch in his throat. He scolded himself; there was no reason to get worked up over a _man._ Arthur refused to acknowledge how his heart beat increased slightly, it didn't mean anything anyway. But he couldn't help but be curious; this man didn't look Jewish either.

"How'd you get here, huh?" He asked nosily, ignoring Arthur's previous question. The Brit's scowl reappeared as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Isn't it obvious….I'm…I'm a Jew. I don't see why it's any of your business!" Arthur said sharply. The American raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come on, man! We both know that ain't true! Why are ya really here?" He pressed. This boy doesn't quit, Arthur thought to himself. He cast a withering look at the other man before opening his mouth to speak.

"Well why are _you _here then? You obviously don't belong here; you don't see me pestering you about it though!" The cheerful man only shrugged, this made Arthur even more irritated with him. He suddenly jolted like he just remembered something.

"Oh jeez, you gotta get changed real quick man! They'll be back any minute!" Eyes wide in realisation, the green eyed man rushed to quickly unbutton his uniform jacket and flung it onto the cot. He noticed the other man quickly look away and awkwardly rub his neck. What is his problem? Arthur wondered as he slipped the long sleeved pyjama top on and began to do up the buttons with quick flourishes.

After he had put the pyjama bottoms on, he folded his army uniform neatly into a pile.

"So….how old are ya?" That voice was back. Rubbing his face tiredly, Arthur plopped back onto his 'bed'.

"I am twenty three….if you _must _know. Do you have to question me so?" He snapped with an agitated and impatient sigh, this person gave him an instant head ache.

"Whoa, calm down old man! I can call ya that now, since you're older than me. I'm nineteen, turning twenty….I don't even know what date it is today…haha! This place'll do that to ya." Arthur bit his lip; he didn't want to not know when his birthday was going to be.

"It's the fourteenth of August…that might get you back on track." The blinding smile he received in return made his heart disobey him (yet again) by increasing in speed.

"Gee whiz! I turned twenty last month then! Happy birthday to me! My birthday is on the fourth of July, just like the U S of A's is. Did I mention I was from there? Oh wait, I haven't even told ya my name! Alfred F Jones, at your service!" He finished with a mock salute. It shocked Arthur how energetic this Alfred person was. He couldn't tell how he was okay with missing his birthday, it would just make Arthur feel even more depressed than he already is. He just decided to nod his head at him.

"Arthur Kirkland, happy birthday…..I guess…." He added as an afterthought. The way Alfred's eyes lit up made Arthur force down a smile.

"Awesome name, man! Thanks for the happy birthday as well, much appreciated. I couldn't help but notice the stuff you were wearing before. You a soldier?" He asked yet another question. Arthur gave a stiff nod, making Alfred grin once more.

"Are ya really?! I'm a pilot, well, before I ended up in here." He rambled with that _grin _still on his face. Arthur quickly averted his eyes and swallowed.

"If you don't mind me asking….how long have you been here…exactly…?" He questioned nervously. Alfred tapped his chin in thought and tilted his head.

"Not too long, couple months or so. Long enough to know how things work around here, I had someone help me around and stuff but he…." He paused for a moment; the twinkle in his eye seemed to flash out as he sat there quietly. Arthur didn't need to be told what happened to Alfred's friend, he could already tell. He cleared his throat.

"I'm, um, sorry to hear that, lad." He said carefully as he watched the pilot's expression return to normal as if nothing had occurred.

"Nah it's fine! I'm sure you'll be alright though, yeah? All that bull crap about Brits havin' a stiff upper lip and stuff." Any sympathy left in Arthur vanished as his signature scowl settled back on his face.

"Stupid Yank!" He grumbled as he pulled at the thin blanket absentmindedly.

"What was zat? Care to share with me what you just said?" Alfred declared with a hilariously accurate impression of the blond haired and blue eyed German. Arthur couldn't help but let a small smile slip, but didn't look up.

"That was pretty epic what ya did back there though! You do have some balls on ya then, don't ya Artie?" He said with a grin that could rival the Cheshire cat's.

"Please refrain from calling me Artie, my name is _Arthur!_ Gosh I can tell how much fun I'll be having with you while I'm stuck here…" Alfred's eyes lit up causing confusion for Arthur; he didn't say anything nice, did he?

"Aw, I'll have fun too man!" Alfred got up from his position, and much to Arthur's horror and embarrassment, he was engulfed in a hug. He made this strange yelp of shock as his face flushed deeply. Alfred smelt really nice….like fresh cut grass and a musky scent that Arthur couldn't place but it was….dear lord, what was he thinking?! He struggled out of the larger man's embrace and glared up at him. Although he didn't look very threatening with his hair all messed up and a rosy red face to match. Alfred was obviously unaffected by the look, choosing to chuckle at the Brit instead.

"Ya really are somethin' aren't ya? Not that I mind, at all. But ya might wanna flatten ya hair down a lil' bit, I might not be able to hold myself back if ya don't!" He said with a cheery smile and a quick wink that Arthur certainly didn't miss. With that being said the American shuffled back to his sleeping area and didn't say another word. But Arthur's mind was in a frenzy, did he imagine that wink? Did Alfred really say that? Why did he care?!

He leant back onto the wooden surface and stared at the ceiling. He was very much done for if he had to deal with this day after day!

* * *

><p><strong>Well that was the second chapter! If any of you got confused (I'm really sorry if you did), the German giving Arthur a hard time was in fact Ludwig A.K.A Germany! You'll definitely see more of him as the story progresses.<strong>

**German translations:**

**Wer ist das? Er sieht nicht aus wie er hier draußen gehört= Who is this? He doesn't look like he belongs out here.**

**Wir wissen es nicht, wir waren gerade gesagt, ihn zu begleiten= We don't know, we were just told to accompany him.**

**Ja, müssen sie einen triftigen Grund haben. Stehen Sie bequem, können Sie ihn in zu nehmen.= Yes, they must have a good reason. At ease, you can take him in.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! I'm really sorry for the delay, I honestly thought I would of posted the next chapter much sooner, but then Christmas happened. I was so busy doing tons of music concerts and all that (I'm a bit of an Austria when it comes to music XD) but I was always thinking and reminding myself about this. Once again, the German translations will be at the end. They are not completely accurate as I've mentioned before. Let's see how Arthur is coping, I don't think poor Alfred knows what he's doing to Arthur...or does he? :) ~AmbySamby**

* * *

><p>Chapter three<p>

"Up! Get up you worthless pests! Do you think we have all day to just relax?!" This was the hut's own personal alarm clock the next morning, courtesy of the scary Ludwig person from the night of Arthur's arrival. Blinking sleep out of his eyes, Arthur slowly sat up to see everybody apart from him hurrying towards the door.

"H-Hey…what's going on? What do I need to do?" He frantically asked the woman to the left of him. She stared at him for a moment, as if to translate what he said in her head, before pointing to the exit that the others were rushing out of. That didn't exactly help him, but he nodded at her in thanks anyway.

"What do you think you're doing, huh? Get out there and get to work like everybody else!" Ludwig stood in front of him, glowering down harshly. Arthur wasn't taking this, so he glowered right back.

"I'm not entirely sure if you have noticed _sir_, but I have not been informed on what the bloody hell is going on!" His words earned an impatient sigh as the German tapped his foot against the floorboards. The taller man eyed him for a brief second in what seemed like contemplation. Arthur was confused by this, he couldn't help but question himself as to why he was being stared at in such a manner. But then Ludwig shook his head quickly, like he was snapping himself out of a daydream.

"I assumed you would have been told! No matter…you will be digging tunnels and that is it. You will just dig tunnels. Have fun with that for the rest of your life". A nasty smirk slowly crept onto his face as he waited for a reaction from the green eyed man. But alas, Arthur felt a wave of relief at the Nazi's statement, and he knew it showed, judging by Ludwig's almost disappointed face. In honest truth, Arthur thought it would have been a lot worse. Although when he voiced his thoughts, it didn't really settle well for the other man.

"You'll be thinking a bit differently by the time your first twelve hours are up. I said I would make you know your place, don't think I will not stay true to my word." He sneered as he nodded his head in the direction of the door, gesturing for Arthur to take his leave. Arthur did just that, but when he was about to walk through, Ludwig decided to speak up again.

"You should get to roll call…five to ten men are found _dead _in these barracks, make sure you're not one of them." At first, Arthur was delusional enough to think that this was a warning and perhaps he was being alerted. But of course this German didn't have bipolar tendencies, so when he turned around, the usual scowl was still on the Nazi's face. However, Arthur couldn't say much about scowling because it has proved to be his favoured facial expression as well.

Once he exited the hut, he immediately noticed the other 'campers' scrambling into rows of five. Completely lost as to which queue to join, Arthur began to think of the logical possibilities. Was it in alphabetical order? Was it in age groups? No, the latter didn't seem likely due to the fact that a mother was clinging onto her little boy in one of the orderly lines. It looked random, like you just stood where there was a space.

Cautiously, that is what Arthur did. He hated to think about it, but be kind of did need someone to tell him what to do and where to go. His mind wandered to Alfred and he mentally scolded himself for instantly thinking that the Yank would be a good choice. He watched closely as a soldier began to walk down each row whilst scribbling down what looked like some sort of tally on his clipboard. Arthur raised an unamused eyebrow; had they seen how many people they would have to count?! It would take ages! Maybe this was one of their punishments? Standing around at four in the bloody morning in the freezing cold in nothing but pyjamas just to do the register! Preposterous!

Across from him, Alfred was swaying casually on the balls of his feet. The American seemed to feel Arthur's gaze on him, he glanced up and grinned cheekily. The Brit merely huffed and crossed his arms like a child who had just been denied the last biscuit. His actions only made Alfred's grin grow, Arthur could see his eyes sparkling even from across the courtyard. That boy's energy will be the death of him!

About an hour and a half later of collapsing Jews, recounting and tally marking, they were finally finished. This really was a punishment for the old, weak and the young! They were barked at to get to work, as everyone around him went their separate ways, Arthur looked much like a lost puppy. Alfred hurried toward him, causing a questioning quirk of Arthur's eyebrow.

"Somebody's gotta show ya 'round, yeah? You'll be all hopeless and cute lookin' like you just were if you don't got nobody to show you how things work and stuff." Arthur felt himself flush slightly when being referred to as cute, and his stomach fluttered when a blinding smile was cast his way. As he cursed himself inwardly, a hand wrapped around his forearm, dragging him in the direction of where half of the people were going. They came to a stop in front about four men and two women. Alfred turned to Arthur,

"You're kinda lucky turnin' up here half way through a tunnel being dug. Makes it easier on ya, it's always a pain when you gotta start it out," He explained cheerfully. He then addressed the small gathering of people.

"Hey ya'll, this here is Artie, and he's all brand new! We gotta take care of him."

Arthur then realised with a small flush creeping up his face that the man's hand still had a firm grip on his arm. Yanking away with wide eyes, he glared at the clueless American.

"You don't 'gotta take care me'. I can handle myself, thank you very much! And another thing, my name is _Arthur_, not Artie!" Arthur finished with his chin poised upwards, saving the last of his remaining dignity. That stupid grin never left that stupid face.

"Sure you can, I don't doubt it, Artie! But everybody needs to be shown the ropes first, yeah?" The man pressed on. Arthur groaned in annoyance at the reuse of the stupidly endearing nickname.

"How many times do I?!- My name is Arthur; don't make me remind you again! And I suppose it would be useful if you showed me what to do and all that rot…" He muttered as he averted his eyes out of spite, he didn't like admitting it when he needed any kind of help. He preferred to do things on his own. As usual, Alfred was seemingly oblivious to what the Briton was feeling at that moment. Arthur could tell that this boy could become a problem to his mental health!

"Yay! I knew you'd come 'round, Artie! Now follow me and we'll get started." The Brit shuffled behind reluctantly, not daring to look at anyone's expressions. Some prisoners had already begun, Arthur observed carefully. Alfred came to an abrupt halt and held out his arm to make sure that Arthur didn't continue walking. This meant that Arthur had a very strong arm whacked into his stomach, winding him in the process.

"Oi! Watch it will you?! Seems to me like you don't know your own bloody strength!" The light blonde wheezed out. Alfred threw an apologetic smile over his shoulder before collecting two shovels from one of the racks. Oh god, this is going to take a long time, however, Arthur didn't really want to say this out loud. Alfred turned once more and held out the rusty object.

"Well, here ya go!" It took a while for Arthur to actually come to terms with what the other man was waiting for. He was just standing there with his arm extended as if to try and give the shovel….oh. Arthur coughed awkwardly and snatched it from Alfred's grasp. His eyebrows furrowed when he heard the younger man tut at him.

"It's rude to snatch where I'm from, Artie! Here I was thinkin' ya were a gentleman, heh." The scowl was back.

"It's Arthur. Are you going to show me what to do or not?!I'm assuming that I just need to dig, yes?"

"Well-"Arthur didn't wait for an answer and whipped around to hop into the large pit. This was simple, even Ludwig said he was just going to be digging tunnels!

"Wait! You don't want no help…?" With a sharp shake of the head, Arthur began his task. He felt Alfred's burning stare on the back of his head and squirmed under the look. He didn't look back at the man, he could do this on his own, he had the willpower to complete difficult tasks! A small sigh and the sound of a shovel being scraped along the floor were heard before somebody, who he knew was Alfred, dropped down next to him and copied his movements of digging the tunnel.

Arthur surveyed the area to see that all the other people were in a steady rhythm with one another. All except Alfred, who was at his own speed entirely. He was good at this, Arthur grudgingly thought. Not that he looked or anything, he most certainly did not notice how the tanned man's muscles tensed and flexed at each dig. He should not notice any of that, it is improper of a male to see and think such things about another male. He glared down at the dirt and tried to ignore the ache in his fingers that was already forming.

Eleven torturous hours later, Arthur was dead off of his feet. He'd never been so exhausted in his entire life, not even in the trenches! To think that he would have to endure this for days on end, and all of the other people here had been doing just that for months, maybe years! Alfred was nowhere to be seen….not that he cared in the slightest. He slouched past the small line of Nazis that were chatting merrily amongst themselves, and panicked slightly when he saw a certain blond haired and blue eyed German. He tried his best to hide his face and ignore him, the man had it in for him and he didn't want to give him any excuses to bug him. This didn't work.

"Well, well, well. How did your first day go, hmmm?" Arthur's eye twitched; it sounded as if he was a child who had just gotten home from his first day of school. He ventured forward, head held high. It was late, and he needed as much sleep as he could manage to get. A chest was in front of him. He blinked and looked up dazedly. Ludwig was there, glaring down at him with such force that the Briton almost shrank away.

"I said, how did your first day go?" This time the question lacked the mockingly sweet tone it had previously, he had angered Ludwig again. Arthur swallowed.

"It went splendidly, thank you. Rather pleasant if I do say so myself!" He gritted out with a false smile that pained him to form. An eyebrow was lifted in response.

"Oh, really? That is strange, because I can't help but notice your hands," Arthur glanced down to see that his hands had seen better days indeed. They were raw from the work and sore to touch, they could only worsen as time went on. Arthur tilted his head as he drowsily stared at his own hands, a soft expression taking over his face due to tiredness. A sharp intake of breath caused him to return his attention back to the man blocking his path. To his immense surprise, Ludwig's face looked pained and distant, but he was staring at him. As though Arthur had something to do with it.

"Mein kleiner Schatz…." The German suddenly growled with malice, making Arthur step back with a frown of distaste.

"I haven't the foggiest about what you just said, but it did not sound very friendly to me…" He said uneasily. He really couldn't afford to stand up to him and get into trouble, so he stayed vaguely polite.

"I wouldn't expect you to know what it means, you don't speak German, do you? He did not know what it meant either…." That pitiful look had returned. Arthur wasn't sure if he liked this side of Ludwig…or any side of him at all. But this was strange…

"Oh, um, I should be on my way. So if you could kindly move for me…?" He had meant for it to come out as a demand, but it sounded more like an unsure question. Seemingly out of his little daze, Ludwig stepped to the side with no further comment, he even looked displeased with his actions, probably from letting his guard down.

When Arthur made a move to make his way back, he noticed some Nazis gathering a bunch of prisoners into the middle of the courtyard. This was weird, what were they up to? Arthur's thoughts were interrupted by a grief stricken wail. He jumped at the sound rather violently. He saw what looked like a mother holding onto her daughter, refusing to hand the small child over to a frustrated Nazi officer.

"Nein! Bitte, lassen Sie es sein. Sie würden ein kleines Mädchen zu retten, nicht wahr? Erbarme dich unser!" The woman cried out in desperation. Arthur felt second hand sadness, even though he had no clue why she was so distraught. Onlookers as well as Arthur, watched solemnly as the officer was aided by another solider to pry the oblivious girl from her arms.

"Arabella! Arabella!" The woman screeched in horror as her child was dragged away. "Arabella", eventually began to realise the danger in this situation. She was being taken from her mother and she was panicking. Arthur cringed as she tried to reach her hands out to the crying woman.

"Mama, mama!" Arthur swallowed thickly, he didn't care that the dreadful feeling of tears were beginning to form in his eyes, this was sickening.

"W-where are they taking her?!" He breathed, tone filled with disbelief. There was a long pause, in fact, Arthur thought that Ludwig had left without his knowledge. But then he spoke. Saying something that Arthur didn't really understand at the time, but by the uncomfortable look on Ludwig's face, he knew that it was not good in any form.

"She's going to have a shower…"

* * *

><p><strong>That's the end of chapter three! I kind of depressed myself when I wrote that last part, such an awful thing to happen to so many innocent people. But I do hope you enjoyed it! I will make sure to have chapter four up much quicker, I promise!<strong>

**German translation: No! Please, let it be. You would save a little girl, right? Have mercy on us.**

**Damn Alfred and his dashingly handsome personality and looks! How long do you think Arthur will hold out until he jumps him? Anyway, I'm not going to give away what Ludwig called Arthur, but you can look it up easily if you really fancy it. I think poor Luddy is missing somebody dear to him...can you guess who it is? (Kind of obvious though, oops) I'll stop rambling now, cheerio!~AmbySamby**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello there! See? This was quicker than the last update! Yay me! (Gotta love London Tipton). No German in this one! Just brief sexual tension...the usual. Although there is some mild violence, but nothing to cry about. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter four<p>

Three weeks. That was how long Arthur had been at this wretched camp. Although it was nothing in comparison to some of the others that shared his situation, it still felt like an eternity. Nearly everything he did in this place felt like an eternity. But one of the worst things about being at this place, was the nightmares that plagued his mind in the dead of night. Nightmares of his time on the battlefield, nightmares of the day he was taken to the camp. But by far the worst occurring nightmare, was the one about Ben. Poor, innocent Ben. Arthur would never know if he saved that boy's life or not, and that's what haunted him. What if all that he gave up was for nothing? Did they spare Ben as well, even though it was fairly obvious who he was? Arthur had lost count on how many times he had woken up, gasping in terror as he jolted back into reality. There was always one person who was there when he woke up. Alfred.

Alfred F Jones had proved himself to be quite the character. Very optimistic, but that came along with the price of being naive. Every single time Arthur was awaken from one of his twisted dreams, and that tended to be almost every night, Alfred was by his side and hushing him back to a now peaceful slumber. The Brit did not know what it was about Alfred that calmed him enough to push away his own cruel imagination. He never recoiled from the American's soft, soothing touch that often ran through his hair on particularly bad nights. He couldn't recoil from him, not when he felt so alone and the feeling of the other man's embrace was so comforting. No matter how many times Arthur warned himself to pull away and to scold the younger blonde, he couldn't gain enough self-control to do such a thing. There is one thing that Arthur is very grateful for. Alfred has never mentioned it, not once. It's like those moments are too private and personal to admit or bring up. Arthur couldn't agree more. It took a lot to get him comfortable enough to just rest his head on someone's shoulder, so it was beyond him as to why he let Alfred practically pull him flush up against him whilst whispering reassuring words. Maybe he was just that lonely, but Arthur knew that was not the case.

"Time to get your lazy arses up and out of here, pests. Go, go, go!" The usual wake up call echoed around the large room full of miserable inhabitants. Well, not all of them were miserable…

"Come on, Artie! Up ya get!" Arthur scowled as he was pulled rather forcefully up and off of his 'bed'.

"Must you be so cheerful all the time? And are you forgetting what I am constantly reminding you?!" He grumbled as they strolled out of the doorway and into the courtyard. A loud, obnoxious laugh filled Arthur's ears and he winced in annoyance.

Alfred ran a hand through his almost golden hair with a confidant grin, as always.

"Jeez, Artie! Nothin' wrong with bein' cheerful! Just 'cause you're a grumpy old man…" He trailed off with a wink, making a flush slowly make its way onto the scowling Brit.

"Again with my name! Do you even listen to me when I tell you to call me Arthur?! You really are an insufferable oaf!" He said with a glare that could fend off a lion. Of course it didn't effect Alfred. That stupid grin never left that stupid face.

"Aw, Artie! Lighten up a 'lil bit, yeah? We only have to endure a couple hours for roll call, and then another twelve hours or so of manual labour…no biggie!" He said as he nudged Arthur's shoulder playfully.

"Yes, and as you can tell I am absolutely ecstatic." He muttered with a roll of his emerald green eyes. Just when Arthur thought that his excitable companion was going to say something, the American's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Ooh, look! There's two spaces left over here, we can stand next to each other!" He cheered as he grabbed Arthur's hand, intertwining their fingers tightly. As Arthur was pulled along to the end of the queue, he couldn't fight off the fluttering in his stomach as he eyed the hand that Alfred was holding so casually.

"Are you going to…?" Arthur asked as he lifted their joined hands in a way to finish the question. The blue eyed man merely glanced at him with a tiny smile on his face (much different compared to his boisterous grin) and briefly shook his head. Arthur bit his lip uneasily, but quickly turned away once he noticed that Alfred was still watching him closely. He let out a sigh as the counting began. The opening to another day had officially started.

Much to Arthur's surprise, this day's register didn't take too long. Only half an hour at most, and that was the quickest he'd ever seen them accomplish it. Usually, they made sure to take the longest time they could just to make it worse for everyone. Whether it was 'accidentally' miscounting, or walking _very _slowly for the sake of it. So this was different, in fact, Arthur even felt slightly suspicious at how fast it was dealt with. As they walked toward their work area, Arthur could not get one thing out of his mind. Alfred had held his hand through the whole thing, not letting go once. That boy really would be the death of him, messing with his feelings like this.

Once they got to the shovel racks, Alfred's hand slipped out of his slowly and…reluctantly? No, obviously that wasn't it! Arthur shouldn't even be thinking about how his chest ached at the loss of contact, it was wrong! That's what he always told himself when Alfred made him feel this way. A shovel was passed his way and he took it, grateful for the distraction from his own sinful mind.

"Let's get to work!" Alfred encouraged the rest of the group. This man was all smiles, but Arthur did ponder for a moment…maybe that's what they all needed here? Somebody to brighten up their day, and to make sure his signature grin is planted in place in order to keep the poor unfortunate souls from losing hope. Hope, Arthur had no doubts that this young man had plenty to spare.

They are never informed about what the tunnels were used for, they just dug them out, day after day with no questions. But even though it mostly doesn't seem like it, there is always a Nazi solider observing there work from quite a distance away. Not ages away, but not too close. If anything were to happen, if someone was caught slacking off, they would be there in a heartbeat. And that's what unsettled Arthur. Nearly every day, Alfred asked Arthur if he wanted or needed him to help him, but as you would think, Arthur always rejected the offer with defiance. It still didn't stop the taller man from bugging him about it every time he did so. Arthur Kirkland didn't except help and that was that.

His health and strength was decreasing, but you could only really notice if you inspected him closely. So what if it physically hurt him each time he dug into the dirt? Plenty of other people in the camp, if not all of them, experienced this as well as him. He was no different. So that is exactly why his irritation rose as the daily question was spoken.

"Hey, Artie. Ya look pretty worse for wear…I can help ya…" The familiar voice said carefully from beside him. Arthur's threatening stare pinned itself onto the younger man.

"Like I have said many times before, Alfred. I can handle myself!" He ground out, not even bothering to hide his exasperation. Alfred made a noise of protest, but Arthur's piercing glare kept his mouth shut.

"I…okay…" He almost sighed in relief once no more pestering questions popped up. Like he has admitted before, he is very tired and all that rot, but that doesn't mean he should just step aside to let Alfred do the work for him. It simply wasn't fair.

Two hours later, Arthur was almost falling over his shovel as he continued to dig. He blatantly ignored the bright blue eyes that persistently shifted over to him every so often. Just…four more hours left. As Alfred would say, 'no biggie'. Arthur's eyes hazed over, causing him to panic and use his shovel to keep him standing. This didn't go unnoticed by just Alfred though. It would seem that it was Arthur's lucky day, Ludwig happened to be on guard duty along with his hawk like eyes.

"Hey, stop resting and get back to work!" He yelled as he stormed toward where Arthur was now hurriedly digging. Alfred spun around with a seething look that made even Ludwig seem regretful for coming over.

"It was only for a few seconds, man! He's _exhausted!_ Have a bit of sympathy, yeah?" He bit out angrily. Arthur cringed at the words, he was quite flattered that Alfred had stuck up for him, but it was a really stupid thing to do.

"Get back to work, pest. This doesn't concern the likes of you." The German leered before glancing Arthur's way and marching off. Arthur breathed out in relief; that could have gone very badly for the both of them.

"Why did you _do _that, Alfred?! You don't know what he would have done, they're like ticking time bombs, especially him!" He chided as Alfred eventually focused his attention back to his shovel.

"I know, I…just didn't like him talkin' to ya like that, is all…" He trailed off with a sheepish smile. A tiny smile formed on Arthur's face before he could stop it, only a quirk of the lips but the Brit knew Alfred had spotted it. With a quick clear of his throat, Arthur began to avoid any further eye contact. It didn't take long for the nagging feeling in his gut convinced him to say his thanks.

"Erm, well…I suppose I should thank you for standing up for me, even if it was a rather idiotic move on your part. W-what I'm trying to say is, thank you." He stuttered out with a deep flush dusting his cheeks, he was too ashamed to even say it to Alfred's face, so he was showing his awkward gratitude to his shovel. The quiet sound of a chuckle caused him to reluctantly look up. Alfred was looking at him, eyes shining as usual, and a massive grin on his face.

"Any time, Artie. I seriously mean that, I have enough time for ya any day…trust me." He beamed, all sense of shame from his previous actions completely evaporating. Arthur glared at him halfheartedly.

"Don't say things like that!" He snapped as he kept his glare steady. The blue eyed man only gave a one shouldered shrug in response.

"What? It's true, ain't it? No reason why I shouldn't say if it's true." He defended, his voice sounding like it had gone up an octave, which made Arthur frown.

"Yes, well…oh, just forget I said anything!" He sighed with a wave of his abused hand. Alfred huffed, but got back to work anyway.

The agonising four hours were up, much to everyone's relief. Throughout the time, Arthur had tried his best to keep from taking a short break that he knew he needed, however, it couldn't be helped. Alfred was beside him as they made their way back to hut 5.0, what the camp authorities like to call food would be delivered shortly. It was stale bread and dirty water, although this was a diet that Arthur was quite familiar with, being in combat kind of limits your choice of meal as well. Despite the unappetising food ahead, it was better than nothing at all. Alfred opened the door and stepped to the side to let the scowling Briton inside first, swaying his arms toward it dramatically. Before Arthur could even take a step, there was a pair of large hands gripping onto his shoulders. He froze. Alfred's narrowed eyes were very telling as to who it was.

"I'd like a little chat with Arthur, you can go on in…pest." The familiar thick German accent jeered. Arthur nodded at Alfred, attempting to tell him that he would be perfectly fine dealing with Ludwig. The tall American seemed to get the message, a reluctant sigh and a small wave and he had disappeared through the door.

Arthur was more bitter than usual at that moment. He was tired, hungry and just plain miserable. The last thing he needed was Ludwig being here to make things worse! He was not in the mood for this. As he was pulled to the side of the hut, he suddenly felt uneasy about the whole situation. If this was about earlier on…he was very much toast.

"So, you think it wise to take breaks whenever you please?" This was the immediate question thrown at him once they came to a stop just to the left of his hut. Arthur growled in annoyance.

"Like Alfred said, it was for a mere second at most!" Ludwig's expression darkened considerably, but Arthur was too exhausted to even care this time.

"You better watch your mouth. I hope you realise what I could have done to you…" He left the threat hanging as his searing stare stayed fixed on the Brit.

"Frankly, I don't care. You people can do whatever you please, but you can never take away my pride, I am a proud Englishman who serves his country, stooping as low as you pathetic Nazis will be something I will simply _never _bring myself to do!" Arthur yelled in an angered frenzy that he couldn't control.

"Long live the king…" Arthur snarled before he repeated the same thing he did the first time coming here; spat at his feet. Ludwig went red with rage, but Arthur reckoned he probably looked the same. His collar was seized and in an instant, he was shoved onto the gravel. He didn't even have a chance to glance up, a sharp, throbbing pain ran through his body as a foot came into contact with his lowered face. Arthur may act like it, but he isn't invincible, so that hurt as much as it would to anyone else. He would like to say he didn't cry out in pain, but then he would be a liar. Cradling his wounded face carefully, he cast his eyes to the ground, watching as the blood slowly poured down from his nose and mouth. Then there was a fist, right where the last blow had been. All he could do was groan as he arched away from the offending punch.

"T-that wasn't exactly necessary…" Arthur managed to practically whimper out. He felt so helpless, and it was humiliating. He was hauled up to his feet and he just stood there, hand still covering his rapidly bleeding features. He flinched away as a hand gripped his arm gently. Green eyes met sharp blue and neither of them uttered a word. People were watching, they were the main event today, there was always some trauma going on in this place, now it was their turn in the morbid spotlight.

"Just…go." Ludwig said in defeat, pushing him back in the direction of where he originally intended to proceed to. Arthur didn't need to be told twice, he scurried off and slammed open the door, his anger had not cooled down yet.

Everybody was startled by his entrance, and all looked to the door, so that meant they all looked at _him._ A loud gasp broke the silence, making Arthur cringe, he knew who that was.

"Artie! Oh, what did he do to ya?! I'll kill the bastard! I'll kill him!" The American roared as he took Arthur's face in his hands.

"A-Alfred, it's fine, really. I did kind of provoke him…" Arthur admitted with a stubborn frown.

"Nu-uh! He hurt ya and that's all there is to it! Come 'ere, I'll get you cleaned up." He rushed out as he hurried the Brit onto his bed. He dragged his bed closer to Arthur's and plopped down onto it with a thud. He ripped some cloth off of his scratchy bed sheet, when Arthur began to protest he shook his head firmly.

"Unless ya see anythin' better 'round here, I'd quit talkin'. Could ya move ya hand…? I won't be able to do nothin' if I can't get to it." He said with an uncharacteristic amount of tentativeness laced in his voice. Grudgingly, Arthur removed his hand, cringing at the grimace Alfred made.

"Gee, that son of a bitch got ya good, didn't he?" Arthur nodded meekly. Alfred shuffled uncomfortably closer, and began to dab delicately onto the beaten areas. A blush crept its way all the way from Arthur's neck to his face at the feeling of Alfred's breath ghosting over his. But Alfred's cheeks were hinted with pink as well, so…no, he can't think like that now! The American's surprisingly gentle touch was the only thing Arthur could focus on, the way he did prodded at him was almost as if he didn't want to break him. Like that would ever happen!

"Almost done…" The other man murmured whilst he lifted off of his bed ever so slightly to wipe his cheek. But murmuring whilst so close to his cheek caused his lips to lightly brush against it. Simultaneously, both men's breath caught and Alfred lowered his eyes to meet Arthur's. A minute went by with the two men just staring at one another. The tension seemed to be building up as the Englishman's heartbeat increased rapidly. And then he coughed, purposely loud enough to break the moment. He didn't know where that was going, and he was too scared to find out.

"Um, yeah. I er…cleaned ya up the best I possibly could, ya know, with the circumstances and all." He explained hastily. Arthur's insides continued to perform somersaults as Alfred pushed his bed back to its original place.

"Ya missed dinner being served out, but I made sure to save ya some….and that's quite a big deal, comin' from me and my appetite." He said with his signature laugh as he held out the piece of bread to Arthur. The Brit couldn't help it, he was starved, so he scoffed it down right away.

"Wow, didn't know ya had it in ya! Whelp, best get to bed…sweet dreams Arthur." He finished softly as he ducked under the now ripped covers. Arthur blinked at the lump in that bed. And then he thought, perhaps the lump in that bed wasn't that bad after all…

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed that chapter, not sure if it was one of my best but hey, I was tired whist writing it. So...Alfred nursing Arthur, eh? But I have to say, damn you Arthur for being a cock block to yourself!<strong>

**Hey, after this chapter, maybe Arthur was actually right about Ludwig having bi polar tendencies...XD Cheerio! ~AmbySamby**


End file.
